At Close, the BSE Sensex on Thursday jumped 721 points or 1.27 percent to 57,540, and the Nifty50 jumped 210 points or 1.23 percent to 17,248, as investors indulged in short covering. Market breadth was slightly positive as about 982 shares advanced against 933 declining scrips on the NSE. Hindustan Unilever, Asian Paints, NTPC, Power Grid Corporation of India, L&T, State Bank of India, ITC, and Reliance Industries were among the top index gainers. On the flip side, Bharti Airtel, M&M, HCL Tech, and HDFC Bank finished trade in the red. The BSE MidCap index added 0.86 percent while the BSE Smallcap index edged only 0.19 percent higher. Bank Nifty settled over 1 percent up at 36,444.